38Driver Posted February 11, 2018 Share #1 Posted February 11, 2018 I wasn't looking for another flying helmet, but one found me. It wasn't listed very well on eBay, so I was able to get it for far less than I thought it might go for. Almost felt guilty. That the bits had clearly been together forever was not in doubt considering how beat up it looked. But I imagined the guy who last wore it, took it off that last time, threw it in his duffel bag, brought it home and it had been sitting in some basement ever since. I already have two USAAF used type Cs but couldn't resist this as it was a set. Images are the ones from the listing showing the condition it was in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38Driver Posted February 11, 2018 Author Share #2 Posted February 11, 2018 It cleaned up far better than I could have hoped. I had a donor A-14 that had a hard and cracked mask but good straps, so I was able to replace the wrecked ones. A bit of soap and water cleaned up the rubber on the mask. The helmet cleaned up well to as I was able to clean up the snaps and the rubber on the receivers. A bit of Pecards on the leather and it looks great to me. Below is the cleaned up set. Wish I knew who the pilot was. It came out of Memphis, so I'm imagining some former 9th AF fighter pilot...fun to imagine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpin Jack Posted February 11, 2018 Share #3 Posted February 11, 2018 Nicely done. I'm impressed. Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith Posted February 11, 2018 Share #4 Posted February 11, 2018 Wow! Great job, and congratulations. Those little two-snap hooks for the quick-release strap can be tricky to find loose. I need one for the one flight helmet I have, and got lucky. Went to a local junk sale, and found a ratty stripped summer flight helmet in a box. All it had on it was the hook. $5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pararaftanr2 Posted February 11, 2018 Share #5 Posted February 11, 2018 38Driver, Terrific restoration job! Thanks for rescuing a piece of our history and bringing it back to what it would have looked like while in service 75 years ago. I enjoy doing projects like this myself. Whoever the vet was, you certainly did him proud. Best regards, Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manayunkman Posted February 11, 2018 Share #6 Posted February 11, 2018 Job well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustin Posted February 11, 2018 Share #7 Posted February 11, 2018 Yes, nicely done! Picards is a magic paste, it's tough to find. How did you clean the snaps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDK Posted February 11, 2018 Share #8 Posted February 11, 2018 Very nice! Great find. Glad you got it. JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38Driver Posted February 12, 2018 Author Share #9 Posted February 12, 2018 Thanks for the comments. I’m really happy with the set. As for cleaning the snaps. I use a Dremal tool with a wire brush and took my time carefully removing the verdigris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nack Posted February 12, 2018 Share #10 Posted February 12, 2018 Very nice work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustin Posted February 12, 2018 Share #11 Posted February 12, 2018 As for cleaning the snaps. I use a Dremal tool with a wire brush and took my time carefully removing the verdigris. Thanks for sharing your secrets, sounds like a good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantomfixer Posted February 18, 2018 Share #12 Posted February 18, 2018 Excellent preservation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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